Mercer Lake Sprints

2019 MERCER LAKE SPRINTS/ISA CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 19-20, 2019

WEATHER UPDATE

As of 4/19/19 10:30 AM

We are going to 1000 meter races with a floating start for Friday. The revised schedule can be found here.

There has been no change to Saturday’s schedule but please continue to monitor RegattaCentral for updates.

As of 4/18/19 5 pm

We will be making a change to the Novice 8 events tomorrow (Friday). They will race after the heats and before the finals of all the small boats. This is a final decision. We will be making a decision on whether to shorten races to 1000 meters for all Friday events by 10:30 on Friday at the coach/coxn meeting. We will post these two race schedules later tonight. Check the Heat Sheet/Draw tab on RegattaCentral.

(as of 4/17/19 2 pm)

We are closely monitoring the weather for this weekend and want to pass on some discussions on contingency plans. First, we are committed to running the races and will only cancel if there is no feasible way to safely race.

The wind looks to be the biggest problem but the good news is that it’s predicted to be from the south which isn’t the worst wind for Mercer. The problem is that at the forecasted 18+ mph, the first 700 meters of the course as well as the warmup area will be unrowable. If that is the case, we will plan to shorten the races to 1000 meters with floating starts and NO WARMUP. If we go this route, we will launch crews together in race order (meaning, the only crews on the water will be those racing or on deck to race).

The other change to the schedule that we are looking at is to shorten the centers and move racing to a noon to 3 pm time block on Friday. The wind is predicted to get worse throughout the day, so we’d like to get races in earlier in the day rather than later. This will mostly impact the novice 8s that are currently scheduled to race between 5:10 and 6:10.

We would still like to run heats and finals but if we go to floating starts, the progression will NOT include the next fastest time. It will be top 2 or 3 from each heat (depending on number of heats) for a 6 boat final. And finally, if it really doesn’t look good, we may go to a time trial for all events with finish order determining final place if we are unable to run finals.

Saturday looks a little better but not much.

We will post any changes to the website and Regatta Central and will give an update by tomorrow (Thursday) at 6 pm. A final decision will be made at 10:30 Friday at the coach/coxswain meeting.

Race schedule as of 4/17/19: 2019 MLS Schedule 2019-04-16.

**The regatta falls on Easter weekend in 2019 and races will be held on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. Check tentative schedule below**

Thank you to all of the athletes, coaches and VOLUNTEERS who made the 2018 Mercer Lake Sprints a success!

Interested in volunteering for the 2019 Regatta? Click here to see available shifts or contact Events Manager Hilary Gehman (hgehman@rowpnra.org) with any questions.

2019 Details:

Novice races are 1900 meters with a floating start. The novice 8+ will be Friday afternoon, novice 4X on Saturday morning.
There will be a 1900m Time Trial for both Men’s and Women’s 1X’s on Friday. Top 7 advance to Final A
All other races are 2000 meters
Due to the condensed schedule, the following changes have been made for 2019:
- the straight four (4-) event has been eliminated for 2019. It will return in 2020!
- there will be no Final B for any event
- the progression for Final A will be top 2 (or 3) in each heat plus the next fastest time in the event to give a 7 boat final.
Medals will be awarded to top 3 in each Flight as well as each Final (not heats)
Winning crews will also receive a t-shirt (one for each rower/coxswain)

Registration: beginning at 9:00 am Friday and 6:30 am on Saturday in the garage bay of the Marina boathouse (water level next to the Snack Bar). All athletes must have completed waivers on file to compete!

Coaches/Coxswain meetings: 10:30 am Friday and 6:45 am Saturday outside the garage bay of the Marina boathouse (water level next to the Snack Bar).

*MERCER COUNTY PARK HAS ADOPTED A NO DRONE OR RADIO CONTROLLED AIRCRAFT POLICY. NO DRONES OR RADIO CONTROLLED AIRCRAFT WILL BE ALLOWED AT ANY REGATTA HELD ON MERCER LAKE.

Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) and the ISA are proud to host the 2019 Mercer Lake Sprints. This event combines the highly successful Mercer Lake Sprints and the ISA Sculling Championships. This MLS/ ISA Regatta is open to all high schools and junior rowing clubs.

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Regatta Information

Date:	April 19 & April 20, 2019
Location :	Richard Coffee Mercer County Park (West Windsor, NJ) 1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550
Events:	Junior Sweep and Sculling
Registration:	RegattaCentral (will open Sat, March 2, 2019 at 7:00 am and close Fri, April 12, 2019 at midnight)
Start Time:	Friday 11:00 am and Saturday 8:00 am
Schedule:	Mercer Lake Sprints 2019 Schedule
Practice: Registration:	There will be no practice options due to the condensed race schedule. Friday, April 19: 9:00 am-noon, Saturday 6:30 am
Weigh-ins:	coach’s/athlete’s honor

Sweep Events:

Varsity Eight, 2nd Varsity Eight, 3rd Varsity Eight, 4th Varsity Eight
First Novice Eight, 2nd Novice Eight, 3rd Novice Eight
Lightweight Varsity Eight (Boys: 150 lb. max, Girls: 130 lb. max)
Varsity Four (w/cox), 2nd Varsity Four, 3rd Varsity Four
Lightweight Varsity Four (w/cox)
Varsity Four (w/out cox) (NO EVENT IN 2019)
Varsity Pair

ISA Sculling Events:

Varsity Single
Varsity Double, 2nd Varsity Double
Varsity Lwt Double
Varsity Quad, 2nd Varsity Quad
Varsity Lwt Quad

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Entry Fees
Eights:	$135.00
Fours:	$110.00
Quads:	$110.00
Doubles/Pairs:	$70.00
Singles:	$50.00

Regatta Information Links:

Registration Information (read registration rules carefully)
Rules and Entry Limits
Team Tents and Food Trailer Information
Vendor Information

Venue Details

Detailed Venue Map
Mercer County Park
Parking:
- Parking for trailers, buses and vans will open Friday, April 19 at 9:00am.
- Team vans and coaches park in the West Picnic Area parking lot (direct foot access to trailers).
- Buses drop-off athletes in designated lot.
- Spectator parking is available near the finish line. Parking is $10 per day.
- Parking passes can be ordered on-line
Practice: Course will NOT be open for practice at any time in 2019.
Lake Maps:
- Please refer to the Mercer Lake Practice Pattern Map for your crews
- For race days please refer to the Mercer Lake Race Pattern Map for your crew